Sri Lanka navy says blows up Tamil Tiger weapons ship

[Reuters]

Sri Lankan navy boats destroyed a Tamil Tiger weapons-smuggling ship on Saturday and four other small rebel boats in an attack that killed at least 20 fighters, the navy spokesman said. The ship, approximately 40 metres long (130 feet), was spotted in international waters steaming toward the only sizeable port the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) still control on the Indian Ocean island nation, Mullaitivu on the northeastern coast. “Navy offshore patrol craft observed a medium-sized LTTE vessel about 70 miles (112 km) northeast of Mullaitivu and navy fast attack boats attacked it,” navy spokesman Mahesh Karunaratne said. “The vessel was destroyed. Four LTTE attack crafts that came in support were also destroyed.”